The teaching of Teclis, the First Loremaster

Říjen 30, 2009

First Nemesis: The Naggarothi Sorceresses

Listen, apprentices, and listen well, for these are the most dangerous of our foes. They are the embodiment of daemons inside us. They are our wicked images in the mirror, they are the hated Sorceresses of Naggaroth.

Never underestimate these beautiful monsters, for even I, the most powerful mage in the whole world, was often surprised by their power.

Some of you chose to study further just one of the eight winds of magic and the same counts for few of the sorceresses. No sorceress shall however wield the winds of Ghur, Azyr, Hysh or Ghyran.

It is easy to guess why: magic and psyche of its wielder are always closely connected and druchii society would hardly produce a maiden, which would be ruthless enough to become a sorceress and had psychic affinity for one of the mentioned winds at the same time.

Pragmatic Dark Elves have no reason to be interested in these Arcane Arts further as my studies confirmed:

The Sorceresses of Ghrond can best any Azyr user when it comes to seeing future and studying fate. With forbidden rituals connected with Morai Heg ( known also as Ereth Khial ) sorceresses can read the threads of fate much easier than we do, for unlike us they are foolish and mad enough to look into forbidden Abyss itself.

Naggarothi have also no need for Ghyran because rituals full of black magic and sacrifices allow them to produce rich harvest without actually healing their cursed southern lands.

Ghyran is useless for druchii for they they have always enslaved their beasts and the idea of befriending them seems ridiculous to Naggarothi.

Healers have bad position in druchii society, it is also known that Dark Arts allow sorceresses to heal even mortal wounds which would be far beyond mere Hysh user. Sorceresses never banish deamons with Hysh for they prefer to enslave and bound them.

Few sorceresses may choose to become vessels of Aqshy energy. Dark Arts are more powerful even in battlefield, but druchii maiden can master pyromancy much more quickly without spending decades by mastering Dhar.

Every druchii sorceress is extremely ambitious, but very few of them are excentric and even fewer hot-blooded. These few quickly realize how dangerous their nature is in treacherous society of druchii.

Thus they need to leave the Convent and join armies as soon as possible before their fiery temper becomes their doom. The flame-magic of Aqshy is natural path for these girls and it was they who helped to invent such terrible weapons as Dragon-breath.

Shyish flows strongly in the Land of Chill. Sorceresses playing with lore of death unlike our mages do not hesitate to experiment with the most dangerous necromantic powers. They do however only rarely use necromancy in battlefield. Talking with the dead is ability appreciated by lot Dark Elves, Sorceresses obsessed with Shyish are often associated with temples of Khaine and Morai Heg.

The most treacherous, deceitful and manipulative novices of the Convents become quickly interested in the wind Ulgu. Unlike users of Dhar these women are absolutely sane and thus more dangerous vipers than the others. You would rarely meet them in the battle for they are the puppeteers and do not put themselves in danger.

Magic of the Chamon is very important to the Dark Elves. Novices with affinity for this wind are trained and sent to countless forges across the Naggaroth. My studies confirm that sorceresses responsible for performing metal magic are trained separately from the others- in some special fortress of the Convent somewhere around the Hotek`s Columm. A mage of the Asur would hardly have to face one of them, since they only rarely leave druchii smiths. They are famed for enchanting metal called galvorn, which is used for products as dalakoi, draich, uraithen, drannach, keikalla, ghlaith and lakelui.

Most common is the lore of Dhar, the Black Magic, the Dark Arts, the damned Sorcery. Most Sorceresses choose to study this terrible magic and these are the ones you will often have to fight.

As we cumulate all eight winds into energy of Qhaysh, so do Sorceresses smash all colors of magic into Dhar. If Qhaysh is white and multicolored at the same time, then Dhar is black and somehow also colorless darkness.

Sorceresses are our most feared and despised foes, they can channel incredible amount of warp-energy. Powers they summoned can easily get out of their control and cause havoc among their own troops, but they can also cast spells, which are far beyond our abilities.

Their spells are commonly of destructive nature, try to dispel as many of them as you can. Always try to counter their efforts to break structure of space, for most powerful Sorceresses can use huge amount of Dhar to create Vortex sucking mortals to hell-like realms.

Remember that sorceresses can often sacrifice mortals during battle in order to make their spells more penetrable. Some of them are able to summon and control daemons, Naggarothi armies can be often accompanied by regiments of summoned daemons.

Sorceresses used to be our rivals, remember how old their lore is, never underestimate their ability to match us. It is essential to prepare yourselves for a chance of facing a sorceress when opposing a Dark Elf army.

Remember, apprentices, when you become famous battlemages of Ulthuan, you must protect her armies, you must unleash power of magic upon her enemies and counter vile efforts of their magic casters. The same counts for Sorceresses of the Dark Elves, do not be fooled by their beauty, know no mercy when facing them, do not hesitate to strike them down.

Teclis of the White Tower

The history of Naggarothi whores

Even before the coming of Chaos, during the idyllic reign of the Everqueen, in the time of the Old Ones, dark shrines could be found on Ulthuan.

Dark caverns, entrances to the Underwolrd are omnipresent in our world and it is there where power of wretched Cytharai flows strongly and visibly.

In forgotten times Morai Heg changed from the ancient hag into a dark beauty Ereth Khial and with wretched Slaanesh she spawned sinister elven gods into our world.

Naturaly Asuryan banished Cytharai and their wretched mother into the underworld, but gates to the Mirai remained opened and since then we had to appease these vile deities from time to time.

Most of these forbidden shrines are located in Nagarythe and the northern New World, but Elves as Gilead confirmed that these dangerous shrines can be found even in the Old World.

Since the time of the Everqueen we had to appease these wicked gods in order to preserve balance and harmony on Ulthuan. Thus few priests and priestesses were dispatched to tend the dark places in Ulthuan. Most notable of these shadowy creatures was high priestess of Ereth Khial- the damned Morathi.

According to the oldest records in our glorious White Tower of Hoeth, Morathi was always as ambitious as we remember. Everqueen Astarielle used to call her “annoying loud raven”. It seems Morathi always wanted Ulthuan to appreciate her goddess more and thus respect more Morathi herself.

Back then can be traced first mentions of the archaic form of the Convent of the Sorceresses. Priestesses of Ereth Khial were capable of using Shyish and Ulgu and Morathi was the most powerful of them. As the High priestess she quickly convinced the others that Everqueen was prohibiting the worshipping of their goddess in order to sustain utter devotion of Ulthuan to Isha.

Northern Ulthuan was a savage land back then, inhabited by few nomadic tribes of wild dark haired elves Malteeras (People of the Northern Reaches), who had little contact with the Old Ones. The new-founded Sisterhood quickly gained utter devotion of these brute people.

Then it happened. The Chaos came. Daemons came upon Ulthuan and her people. Mysterious Aenarion had risen, leading the Elves to countless victories.

With the tragic death of his Everqueen, Aenarion drew the Widowmaker and soon he found Morathi in a clutch of warband of Slaaneshi deamons.

It was then when Morathi grasped the chance to take control over Ulthuan. She convinced Aenarion to establish new kingdom- the cursed Nagarythe.

Morathi was native to these lands and it was easy for her to present the wielder of the Widowmaker as a demigod to the bloodthirsty dark-haired elves of the North.

With the coming of Chaos the Elves were more vulnerable to their weaknesses. Soon the worship of Cytharai became omnipresent in Nagarythe.

The female priests of Morai Heg, Atharti and Hekarti quickly acknowledged Morathi as their own twisted form of dark Everqueen. Cults of deities such as Khaine or Anath Raema were associated with more primal, almost primitive kinds of magic and Morathi was actually never able to take control over these cults directly.

Especially Khainaties became thorn in her backside, numerous thanks to warlike nature of Nagaryethe and favor of the Widowmaker and leaded by wretched Hag Queens.

Hag Queens (Tulluch) were dangerous warrior priestesses associated with Khaine and his favorite sister Anath Raema. They always fought in the first ranks against demons and were admired by common people of Nagaryethe.

Most hated rival became Hellebron, young maiden capable of slaying Greater Daemon by herself. Hag Queens became so prominent that other female priestesses banded together more than ever before.

We Elves are naturally associated with magic. Three realms were famed for their mages back then: Nagaryethe, Caledor and Saphery. Elves with extreme affinity for arcane energy were born in all elven realms, but it was and is especially true when it comes to Saphery. There mighty magelords of old perfected the Art of Qhaysh, besting even Slann themselves.

Fiery mages from Caledor were friends of Dragons and often smashed whole armies of daemons with orange flames before battle even started. You must understand, young apprentices, how strong was magic back then, with no Vortex to reduce mighty energies of Chaos pouring from the Northern Gate.

Countless weapons of fearsome power were forged back then in both Caledor and Nagarythe, weapons often more dangerous than daemons themselves.

Countless cities were able to survive fury of deamons only because of magical wards surrounding them. This was especially truth when it came to Nagaryethe. This realm knew no peace, daemons never stopped to assault it.

Thus countless war-sorcerers could be found among Aenerion´s bloodthirsty warriors. These male warlocks were numerous, but their power was nothing to the vast forces commanded by sorceresses of Morathi.

Sorceresses were actually priestesses of the forbidden elven goddesses, they would refuse to wield Qhaysh into battle, instead channeling just Shyish and Ulgu. Using Dhar was unthinkable back then, although few rituals associated with Hekarti allowed them to do so from time to time.

Daemons would learn to hate these wicked sorceresses although their power could still be easily matched by our fellow Sapherians. Hag Queens, now called also witches, quickly learned to hate treacherous priestesses of Morathi and this rivalry continues to these days.

Sorceresses would wield magic, treachery, prophecy and seduction as their weapons and even Aenarion wary of them. Mortahi used them to control people of Nagarythe and it was her hidden ambition to become new Everqueen. She believed she could become embodiment of Morai Heg as Astarielle was an avatar of Isha.

When Caledor came up with his plan, Morathi cursed him as a fool, for if magical Vortex was created, she and her sorceresses shall no longer be goddesses and no more godlike weapons could be produced without huge amount of magic in the world.

Yet the Vortex still came to be, daemons were banished, Widowmaker returned, Aenarion was dead and new Phoenix King was to be elected.

With Bel Shanaar as the new Phoenix King and Yvraine as the new Everqueen, Morathi found herself alone in the Nagarythe, only place where she still had some real power.

She decided to take control over whole Ulthuan through her sorceresses who started to convert all elven realms. They became priestesses of secret cults, cults associated with forbidden Cytharai.

It should be noted, that this worshipping had only little common with original sacrifices to the Cytharai in the old days. Sorceresses would now gain favor of Cytharai by using very Dhar itself. No longer shall they just use the power of Shyish or Ulgu, now they would call upon Loec, Morai Heg and Ellinill through forbidden sorcery.

The Cults of Excess were also closely linked with Chaos, few Hag Queens openly converted from Khaine to Khorne and their new insane cults survived to these days.

Bel Shanaar was seen as an usurper by the cultists, he was embodiment of weak Asuryan and Everqueen was a spawn of fragile Isha. Malekith would be seen as an avatar of Slaanesh, the arch nemesis of Asuryan and Morathi was seductive daughter of Ereth Khial, always ready to oppose Isha and her bastards.

As Malekith fought countless battles against daemons, cultists would see Chaos as mere power and way to glory, daemons as potential slaves and sorceresses as the slavemasters.

Sorceresses proclaiming Chaos to be a freedom from tyranny of false Phoenix King usually associated themselves with Aqshy, although many were insane enough to succumb to the very lore of Slaanesh. Among the Cults of Excess the Cult of Pleasure was the far most perverted and hedonistic.

During the civil war sorceresses remained mostly hidden or stayed in Anlec. When the war was lost, it was they who tried to destroy the vortex and sent the daemons against their hated kin. But even their wicked sorcery could not best the freed wizards of the Isle of the Death and Caledor Dragontamer himself.

Yet sorceresses had more tricks than it seemed. Long ago they corrupted countless Sapherian mages. These once noble wizards were seduced by the vile maidens and studied the same forbidden arts and thus became fearsome warlocks and sorcerers.

Later they were banished from Saphery, but they took refugee among wicked sorceresses and witches of Nagarythe. With stolen knowledge of Saphery at their deposital, sorceresses turned ancient enchantments around their fortresses into hideous spells of protection which helped them to survive magical cataclysm.

Thus they created dreadful Black Arks. Sorceresses such as Anethera Helbane quickly infused their floating fortresses with incredible amount of Dhar energy, thus gaining ability to control these fearsome vessels.

Little we know about actions of sorceresses after the foundation of Naggarond. What we know for sure is that male sorcerers and warlocks Dru Perim (Black Pilgrims) quickly fell out of grace.

Morathi established the citadel of Ghrond near the Chaos Wastes. This sanctuary of Hekarti is corrupted image of our own beloved White Tower of Hoeth. There the Convent of the Sorceresses was founded.

Typical sorceress is a Dhar user worshipping Hekarti, bearer of destructive spells. The sorceresses of the convent are hired by dreadlords and highbornes of Naggaroth to fight for them in the most important battles.

The Convent is ruled by six Supreme Sorceresses. The head of the organization is the Hag Sorceress – Morathi. All sorceresses are ritually wedded to Malekith. The brides of the Witch King are on bad terms with khainaties.

Recently sorceresses worshipping Slaanesh led an invasion under patronage of Morathi to Lustria. It is well known to us, that sorceresses are obsessed with the artifacts of the Old Ones and the Chaos Gods.

Sorceresses may but don’t have to be associated by other female magicians in Naggaroth. Hated Lady Bela, the slayer of Mormakar and Galahed, the nemesis of Arnheim, was for example witch elf of Khaine capable of quite powerful magic, but had no connection to the Convent.

The same counts for countless other seers, athartists, priestesses, enchanteresses and other evil witches among Dark Elves.

Now that you know how long evil sorceresses trouble Ulthuan and her people, dear students, do not wait and take your weapons. Join the shining armies of our people and match the cruel brides of the Witch King!

For we know where do their paths lead- to doom, damnation and emptiness. This is the fate of sorceresses and we, the battle mages of Saphery, shall help them to find their fate as quickly as possible!

The sorceresses and the daemons

The sorceresses associate themselves with Cytharai and thus with Slaanesh. Sorceresses only rarely worship any deity, they usually just make deals with them. The same counts for the Dark Prince and his daemons.

Most wicked is the tale of Dechala, one of the most ancient sorceresses. This princess from Nagarythe seduced mighty slaaneshi daemon, but the daemon prince soon became too obsessed with her.

After slaughtering her whole family, Dechala joined armies of Slaanesh and founded dreaded army of Tormentors. We loremasters know well of her curse, for she can never reach true daemonhood and thus must roam the Chaos Wastes for eternity.

Sorceresses despise daemons of Nurgle, sometimes they manipulate daemons of Khorne. They see servants of Tzeentch as their most dangerous rivals and would deal with them only in most desperate situations.

There is only one exception in the whole history of Naggarothi: mighty demonlord T´zarkan. This daemon was exalted by both Slaanesh and T´zarkan at the same time.

During the First War this daemon was bound and imprisoned by few mortal sorcerers and they used his powers against sons of Aenarion ever since. The ancient sorceresses of old dreamed of enslaving this mighty daemon, finally thus finding way to get their claws on secrets of the Changer of the Ways without losing favor of Slaanesh at the same time.

When exiled Naggarothi landed in the new world, sorceresses soon realized how close was the prison of the Prince of Revel. Their efforts to enslave him actually helped him to free himself for very short time. Thus he managed to lead an army of daemons of Slaanesh and Tzeentch to the Altar of Ultimate Darkness, where he matched Dark Elves for the first time in his life.

Surprised how much have their kind changed during centuries, Tzarkan quickly became obsessed with this race and decided to enslave them one day and become the sole god of this potential nation.

His plans were in vain from the very beginning thanks to supreme sorceress Eldire who orchestrated a set of prophecies which in the end made Tzarkan nothing but a source of power for her only son: Malus Darkblade, the Kinslayer, the Drachau of Hag Graef, the Dark Crag.

Most well known is the case of Be´Lakor, the Shadowlord. This mighty deamon is a close ally of Morathi herself. The Hag Sorceress was always troubled by influence of Tzeentch. By supporting Be´lakor she believed she could weaken grip of the Changer of the Ways on her world.

And she was right. Great war was fought in the Realms of Chaos between the Harbinger and Kairos, the Fateweaver. The First Lord of Change was confident about his victory, for how could he loose if he knew both past and future?

Kairos wasn´t prepared for creature as treacherous as Morathi. The Hag Sorceress knew well how to manipulate visions of the daemon and thus through forbidden knowledge of Morai Heg she lured the lord of Change into claws of Be´lakor, the Dark Master.

Sorceresses would enslave all lesser daemons and make deals only with the most powerful ones, who are beyond their power. Most notable allies of the Brides of Malekith are the Keepers of the secrets, called N´Kari, such as Ail’Slath’Sleresh (Heartslayer), Amnaich and Zarakynel.

I myself once battled the Keeper of the Secrets, who was sent to kill my brother Tyrion and our beloved Everqueen by Witch King himself and thus I know how dangerous creatures they are. They share with druchii hatred for our kin.

Keepers of Secrets were common among armies which invaded Lustria recently and thus have proven how far are sorceresses stepped in the arts of demonology.

Very well known are also pacts with Azazel. Our loremasters confirmed that sorceresses also recently helped arch daemonette Masque to slaughter countless Asrai of Athel Loren, after Wardancer Cirienvel disturbed one of caverns of the Gods of the Underworld. Spellweaver Ranu than avenged Wood Elves as she casted K´z´arkera´ss across the world into mountains of Naggaroth, where treacherous coven of responsible sorceresses held a summit.

Sorceresses actually play quite big part in the Great Game of the Chaos Gods, for they are powerful allies of Slaanesh. Supreme Sorceresses are able to enter the Realm of Chaos and survive there thanks to their pacts with Heralds of Slaanesh. Teclis and Anorion the Green recently witnessed whole coven of sorceresses raiding on steeds of Slaanesh behind the Veil. Brides of Malekith once helped the Dark Prince to conquer small part of the Gardens of Pestilence, which immeaditely changed into wicked forest of black rotting oaks as the territory shifted from Nurgle´s to Slaanesh´s domain.

They are also known for converting whole armies of Bloodletters to the cause of Slaanesh. These slaaneshi bloodletters are called incubi. Sorceresses do not mind to wander Realm of the Ruinous Powers ( surface of the Realms of Chaos ), they shall only rarely however vistit either Mirai ( underworld under Slaanesh´s domain ) or Heavens of Cadai. Why do they hesitate to go there is beyond our knowledge.